Because of the long trips involved, Matthew's father often did not have access to large caches of medical supplies. Matthew, acting as his assistant, became an expert, even at his young age, at improvising medical techniques, a skill which helped him when he later became a doctor in Starfleet.

Sometime before 2363, the freighter was involved in an incident in which pirates attempted to hijack the freighter's cargo. Matthew was forced to help fight off the pirates and as a result, decided to abandon what he thought would be his future and joined Starfleet in 2363.